Two medical students from Louisiana State University are being praised for putting what they learned in the classroom to use in the real world.
Lauren Bagneris and Heather Duplessis were on their way from New Orleans to Greece to start a 10-day vacation when a medical emergency occurred on one of their flights.
With no medical professionals on board, the two friends jumped up and volunteered to help.
“We waited a second to make sure no actual medical professionals were around to respond,” Duplessis, 25, told The Washington Post. “When no one responded, that’s when we identified ourselves as med students. They said, ‘Definitely, we could use your help.’”
The two worked with a flight attendant who was in contact with a doctor on the ground to assist the passenger who had fallen ill.
Right place at the right time.
The two med students took an assessment on the passenger, asking them how they spent their morning and if they had any medical conditions.
Then they were able to treat them.
LSU shared a photo of the two young women helping the passenger and praising the med students for stepping up.
“Two LSU Health New Orleans medical students on a flight to Greece were sure in the right place at the right time,” the school wrote.
“Heather and Lauren communicated with a doctor on the ground and took her BP, pulse and blood sugar. The patient ended up feeling much better thanks to these two talented doctors in the making and their LSU medical education.”
The school reported that because of Bagneris and Duplessis, the passenger was able to recover.
And the two students continued on their way to Greece without any more medical emergencies.
And while they said they’d be happy to help again, “Our main hope is that there are other, more qualified, medical professionals onboard,” Duplessis said. But if not, “we’ll do the same thing over again.”
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